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Jul. 27th, 2020 12:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
psipsyModel trains seem to be the thing I'm running with lately. That'll happen.
I found it necessary to install under-table switch machines, because some of the locomotives have enough overhang to bump into the stock switch machines and that's asking for trouble. I already had one derail enough to fall completely off the layout. Thankfully it was an old Athearn blue-box loco, and those are tougher than they look. Only one plastic part needed glued back on, the rest snapped back together. Nevertheless, I'm looking into putting expansions on the edges of the layout. Scenery only on those wings, so that fancier (more expensive) engines with more delicate detail do not take the same plunge. I thought about having clear plastic barriers going up above the track, then decided against that.
There's a lot of testing, re-testing, checking track alignment, debugging, and so on. Everytime I make an adjustment, I go back and make sure everything works smoothly. That way I don't just throw it all together and then at the end discover all my trains fly off the rails.
In my travels, I found a hobby shop selling an old Tyco locomotive and caboose as a matching set. The price tag said "$7" and "does not run". I took that as a challenge. As it turned out, it wasn't much of a challenge. All that was needed to be done was solder a broken wire back into place. Hardly any real fight at all. I feel like I could take it back to the store and ask for a refund with the argument that it was advertised as not in running condition when in fact it was. Nah, I'll keep it. While I was at it, I dusted off and reassembled another Tyco locomotive of mine, which was in fact the very first one I had. I haven't run it on the layout yet, but it does run on the test track.
Another item on the to-do was to add a shelf on one end for the control panel items. After putting all the track in place, I discovered I didn't have a place for the throttles. I used some hardboard for the surface so I can drill holes in it and install switches and lights and things.
It's taken a lot of work and I haven't started on the scenery yet. I'm glad I went with (what started as) a 4x8 platform for this iteration instead of something much bigger.
I found it necessary to install under-table switch machines, because some of the locomotives have enough overhang to bump into the stock switch machines and that's asking for trouble. I already had one derail enough to fall completely off the layout. Thankfully it was an old Athearn blue-box loco, and those are tougher than they look. Only one plastic part needed glued back on, the rest snapped back together. Nevertheless, I'm looking into putting expansions on the edges of the layout. Scenery only on those wings, so that fancier (more expensive) engines with more delicate detail do not take the same plunge. I thought about having clear plastic barriers going up above the track, then decided against that.
There's a lot of testing, re-testing, checking track alignment, debugging, and so on. Everytime I make an adjustment, I go back and make sure everything works smoothly. That way I don't just throw it all together and then at the end discover all my trains fly off the rails.
In my travels, I found a hobby shop selling an old Tyco locomotive and caboose as a matching set. The price tag said "$7" and "does not run". I took that as a challenge. As it turned out, it wasn't much of a challenge. All that was needed to be done was solder a broken wire back into place. Hardly any real fight at all. I feel like I could take it back to the store and ask for a refund with the argument that it was advertised as not in running condition when in fact it was. Nah, I'll keep it. While I was at it, I dusted off and reassembled another Tyco locomotive of mine, which was in fact the very first one I had. I haven't run it on the layout yet, but it does run on the test track.
Another item on the to-do was to add a shelf on one end for the control panel items. After putting all the track in place, I discovered I didn't have a place for the throttles. I used some hardboard for the surface so I can drill holes in it and install switches and lights and things.
It's taken a lot of work and I haven't started on the scenery yet. I'm glad I went with (what started as) a 4x8 platform for this iteration instead of something much bigger.
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Date: 2020-07-27 10:23 pm (UTC)LOL!
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Date: 2020-07-28 10:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-07-29 09:55 am (UTC)